Star Trek Discovery – What We Know So Far.

The final frontier returns for further exploration May 2017 with the debut of Star Trek Discovery, the newest Star Trek television series and the first since Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005. Created by Bryan Fuller and Alex Kurtzman, it will premiere on CBS All Access, CBS’ subscription streaming service with Fuller, Kurtzman, Gretchen Berg, and Aaron Harberts acting as showrunners.

(image courtesy of CBS Networks)

Star Trek Discovery is set 10 years before the original Star Trek series takes place, following the crew of the USS Discovery as they explore an event from the history of the franchise that has been mentioned but never shown. Little is yet known about the characters or cast except for the protagonist, a female character known so far only by the name “Number One” in honor of Majel Barrett’s character in the original Star Trek Pilot episode, “The Cage.”

If the name is recycled, rest assured the rest of her is not. For the first time in Star Trekhistory, the main character will not be the captain, but instead a lieutenant commander. By having Number One play a smaller role on the ship, the hope is that she will lend a different perspective to viewers as far as her relationship with the captain and crew. She will go by “Number One” for the entirety of the first season with her real name being revealed towards the end.

(image courtesy of CBS Networks)

For anyone worried that this may be just another watered down reboot to make money with no love for the source material fear not, the beloved sci-fi series is in good hands. Bryan Fuller is a longtime Trekkie and began his career writing for DS9 and Voyager. Nicholas Meyer, who both wrote and directed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, has signed on as a writer and consultant. If that’s not hope enough, then take comfort in the fact that Rod Roddenberry, son of the man himself, is an executive producer. With a lineup like this, it’s pretty hard to think this will be anything short of spectacular and true-to-form.

Back at Comic-Con 2016, Fuller announced that Star Trek Discovery would be set within the timeline that the previous five series and first ten movies established, called the “Prime Timeline”, and will therefore not tie into the events of the J.J. Abrams reboot films, the “Kelvin Timeline.” When asked about pushing the premiere from January to May, Fuller responded “We aim to dream big and deliver, and that means making sure the demands of physical and post-production for a show that takes place entirely in space, and the need to meet an air date, don’t result in compromised quality…those extra few months will help us achieve a vision we can all be proud of.”

The specific plot of Season One has not been revealed, but it is known that the story will be a single arc told across all 13 episodes. Fuller plans to take advantage of the All Access streaming format to push the envelope. Expect slightly more graphic imagery and language, all in keeping with the spirit of the series of course.

A very tight lid is being kept on further details but the love for the original series seems to be there along with a desire to bring new fans into the fold. We recommend all DVR’s (and Tivos if people still have those) be set to record May 2017. Engage!